Glider construction



1942- A..S. GOLDBERG GLIDER CONSTRUCTION Filed April 5, 1941 AARON SGOLDBER Patented Oct. 27, 1942 GLIDER CONSTRUCTION Aaron S. Goldberg, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Bunting Glider Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 5, 1941, Serial No. 387,043

3 Claims.

This invention relates to gliders and more particularly to an improved construction of all-metal glider, it being among the principal objects of the present invention to produc a glider having a minimum number of parts which are adapted to be readily assembled and disassembled without the use of any specially designed tools and which is relatively inexpensive and simple to manufacture, strong in construction, durable and comfortable in use and neat in appearance.

The present invention consists substantially in the combination, construction, location and relative arrangement of parts, all as will be described more fully hereinafter, as shown in the accompanying drawing and as finally pointed out in the appended claims. In the said accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a glider constructed in accordanc with and embodying the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front perspective view showing the several parts of the glider in separated relation;

Figure 3 is a rear perspective View of the glider in partially assembled condition;

Figure 4 is a partial perspective view showing the assembled seat, back and side arm panels in relation to one of the supporting hangers therefor;

Figure 5 is a transverse vertical sectional View taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a rear perspective view of the portion inscribed within the dotted circle of Figure 3; and

Figure 7 is a view of one of the anchoring bolts employed for securing the seat and back panels to the side arm panels.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, it will be observed that the glider of the present invention is of the type having seat, back and side arm parts adapted to be removably secured together to provid a unitary assembly which is swingably suspended between a pair of laterally spaced end supporting frames Ill-I0 of any suitable type and construction, examples of such end frames being shown in applicants prior United States Letters Patent Nos. 1,997,054 and 2,210,076. As shown in these prior patents, the end frames Ill-10 are suitably interconnected and braced by means not herein shown to provide a rigid supporting structure for the swinging seat and back unit, the latter being suspended by means of the strap hangers II, the upper ends of which are pivotally connected to the upper rails l2--l2 of the end frames.

Except as they may be modified as hereinafter pointed out, the glider of the present invention includes a pair of side arm panels |3I3 which are similar in all substantial respects to those shown in applicants prior United States Letters Patent No. 2,177,616, each of these panels having secured to their front and rear vertical edges the reinforcing straps I 4 and I5. The lower ends of these straps are formed into semi-circular outline to provide in effect outwardly-turned J-shaped lower extremities to which are pivotally connected the lower ends of the suspension straps or hangers H. Thus, through the intervention of the side arm panels I3'I3, the entire weight of the swinging seat and back unit is suspended from the hangers II, the said unit being free to glide back and forth between the supporting end frames l0l0. The upper portions of the side panels l3-I3 ar each outwardly turned, as at l3 l3 to provide arm rests and protective guards above the stationary supporting end frames.

Heretofore and prior to this invention, gliders have been constructed in which the parts hereinbefore described have been employed. However, in such prior constructions of glider the conventional practice has been to employ upholstered spring seat units or spring-fitted frames upon which removable cushions have been placed. The glider of the present invention dispenses with such spring-fitted seats and instead employs a sheet-metal seat unit l6 produced in the form of a single stamping having a main seat portion I6 and a depending apron extending longitudinally along the frontal edge thereof. Preferably, the seat portion I6 is curved from front to rear and the frontal edge thereof is rounded to merge with the depending apron I! to provide a comfortable seat for th occupant of the glider. To strengthen the seat unit I5 and to provide it with adequate rigidity, the rear surface thereof has welded or otherwise secured thereto a plurality of laterally spaced reinforcing bands 18, the rear extremities 19 of which project freely beyond th rear longitudinal edge of the seat unit I6 for a purpose which will be presently apparent. Preferably, the rear longitudinal edge of the sheet metal panel forming the seat unit is reversely bent upon itself to provide a neat and smooth rear edge for the seat unit.

The back unit 20 of the glider is similarly formed of a single sheet metal stamping the upper edge of which is rolled, as at 2|, to provide a smooth finished edge. As in the case of the eat unit l6, the back panel is also remfqrced and rigidified with a plurality of laterally spaced bands 22, these being laterally spaced in correspondence with the spacing of the reinforcing for the seat unit it. Also, the lower ends of the bands 22 project freely beyond the bottom longitudinal edge of the back panel and are rear- Wardly bent, as at 23, at such angle that when the seat and back units If: and 2B are properly assemblecl the extremities 23 of the bands 22 respectively make fiat contact with the corresponding extremities 19 of the bands Hi. In this connection, it will be noted that the band extremities l9 and the band extremities 23 are respectively provided with registering apertures 24 and 25.

As most clearly appears in Figure 2, the seat panel [6 is provided at each of its opposite ends with a pair of bolts 2626 of the character shown in detail in Figure 7, each pair of these bolts being secured in vertically spaced relation to the depending apron I! of the seat unit. As quite clearly appears in Figure '7, each of these anchoring bolts 26 is provided with a flat body portion 21 which is integral with the threaded shank 28 of the bolt, this shank being adapted to threadedly receive a cap nut 29. The body portion 2'! of the bolt is provided with an aperture 30 therein through which a rivet or other securing device may be projected for permanent securement of the bolt to the seat panel as shown in Figure 2, it being observed that the threaded shanks 23 of the bolts project freely beyond the opposite vertical edges of the seat unit apron H to which the bolts are secured. A pair of vertically spaced apertures 3! are provided in each front reinforced edge of the side arm unit I3l3 through which the shanks of the bolts 26 project.

In similar fashion, the back panel of the glider is provided at opposite side edges thereof with anchoring bolts 3232 which are similar in all respects to the anchoring bolts 26, these bolts 3232 being respectively adapted for projection through suitable apertures 33 provided in the rear reinforced edges of the side arm panels.

In order to assemble the swinging unit of the glider, which includes the seat, back and side arm panels, the seat and back panels 16 and 2!) are first connected together by means of bolts 35 which are projected through the registering apertures 2t and of the aligned reinforcing bands I8 and 22. The oppositely projecting threaded shanks of the bolts 32 are then projected through the apertures 33-33 of the side arm panel units l3-l3 while the threaded shanks of the front bolts 25-2E are projected through the apertures 3| of the side arm units, the latter units being then secured in place by the cap nuts 29 which are respectively threaded onto the anchoring bolts. The arrangement and fit of the several parts is such that the side arm panels are respectively drawn tightly against the opposite side edges of the seat unit to form a neat joint therewith at the same time that the front apron I! of the side unit is disposed substantially fiush with the front vertical edges of the side arm panel units. The assembled seat and back panels are thus firmly secured in place and supported between the side arm panels solely by the anchoring bolts 3232 at the rear thereof and by the anchoring bolts 26-26 at the front thereof.

In order to preclude any tendency for the side arm panels to skew out of parallel relation, a

spacer rod 35 is interposed between the freely extending bottom portions of the rear reinforcing straps l5l5 of the side arm panel units. Preferably, this spacer rod 35 is interiorly threaded at its opposite ends for reception of bolts 3636 which are projected through suitable apertures 31 provided in said straps l5l5. This spacer rod 35, conjointly with the anchoring bolts 32 and 26, serve to brace the side arm panels firmly against the opposite side edges of the seat and back assembly and so provides for an exceedingly rigid swinging unit, which unit is adapted to be suspended by means of the strap hangers ll between the stationary end frames lU--l0.

It will be understood, of course, that the invention is susceptible of various changes and modifications from time to time without departing from the real spirit or general principles thereof and it is, accordingly, intended to claim the same broadly, as well as specifically, as indicated by the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

1. An all-metal glider assembly adapted to be swingably suspended between a pair of vertical end units arranged in laterally spaced substantially parallel relation and rigidly connected together comprising individually fabricated seat, back and Side arm units each formed of a single sheet metal panel, a plurality of laterally spaced parallel reinforcing bands extending from edge to edge of each said seat and back panels, the bands of said seat panel being respectively in longitudinal alinement with the bands of said back panel with the proximate ends of said bands extending freely with respect to their associated panels, the freely extending ends of each alined pair of said bands being angularly related for fiatwise engagement with each other and being provided with registering apertures, securing means projected through said registering apertures for securing together said engaging ends of the bands, and means for detachably securing said arm units to the assembled seat and back units.

2. An all-metal glider assembly adapted to be swingably suspended between a pair of vertical end units arranged in laterally spaced substantially parallel relation and rigidly connected together comprising seat, back and side arm units each formed of a single sheet metal panel, the seat and back units being adapted for assembly with the rear longitudinal edge of the seat unit in close proximity to the bottom longitudinal edge of the back unit, each of said seat and back units being provided with a plurality of laterally spaced securing elements extending freely beyond the said longitudinal edges of said units, the securing elements of one unit being spaced for registry with the securing elements of the other unit, means for detachably connecting together each pair of registering securing elements, and means for detachably securing said side arm units to the assembled seat and back units.

3. An all-metal glider assembly of the character defined in claim 2 wherein said securing elements are formed as free extensions of laterally spaced rigidifying members permanently secured to and extending transversely of each of said seat and back units.

AARON S. GOLDBERG. 

